Improved car-coupling



COOK.

Car p ng.

Patented Feb. 26g i867.

WILLIAM CO OK, OF BEIAVIDEBEI, ILLNOIS.

Letters Patent No. 62,475, dated February 26, 1867.

IMPROVED (lAlt-(JOUPLING.

diillt tigettlf3 ttftlfftlf ti int tigese tzationa ttent inttr iltitit\ig nert H tin Sittltt TO lil li WHOM IT MAY CONCEiN:

Be it lrnown that l, WILLIAM COOK, of Belvidere, in the county of Boone, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful III)I'(IIVOITIGH in Railroad Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the a-nnexed drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a top view of bumpers connected, With my' improvement attaclleda l Figure. is a vertical central section through the same; and

Jl ig'l'tres and it are views in elevation and plan of the 'coupling link.

it is liu, bject of my invention to couple railroad cars With certainty, Without requiring a hand to guide the link; to :1 Mini" the coupling secure when completed; and to release the coupling with ease when desired; to which end lily invention consists, first, in so combining a centre-enlarged link, with trumpet-mouthecl bumpers, that when the linl is in place in one bumper its oppositc end Will of necessity enter and couple With the opposic bumper Without being guicled by hand, second, in combining a segtrlent catch With the bumper so that the catch shall always enter the link and be held securely down, whatever jars or Violence the bumper may encounter;

'lle enable others fil(lllC in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construc tion and operation.

A, trunipet-mouthed bumper, A, is pierced on the top With a Slot, Within which l place a segnlent-shaped. catch, 33, which is pivoted in front to the bumper by a pin 01' screw, 11, upon which it is free to move vertically Within the Slot. This segrnent catch is of triangular Outline, and 21s thick 51--8 necessary for resisting the pressure it is designed to exert Without crushing. Its lower edge, or that from (Z to Zi, is straight, and as the corner rests on the bottom of a triangula-r depression, 0, in the bell-mouthed bumper, it is always ready to receive the link C With the least resistance. From to 6 the form of the catch is curved in an arch of the radius of the line (1 I), and then, when the link and catch are both in place, the strain on the link Will meet the best line of resistance of the catch, and the coupling cannot become displaced Without some of the parts are broken. The top of the catch has a depression, 02, to receive a spiral spring, c, that is secured at one end to the bumper and at the other to the catch, and serves always to keep the catch depressed to the bottom of the depression in the trumpet mouth of the bumper. Near the angle 0 of the catch it may have a red, f, attached, by which to raise the catch Out of the link When the coupling is to be detached; and When desired, the red 1` may be connected With a lever, g, on top of the platform, so that the foot can depress the lever and opernte the catch to uncouple the cars. The link 0 is made Witllan enlarged centre. The swell or enlarge- 1nentdoes not extend over the sides, but is conlined to the top and bottom of the link, ns .Shown in tig. 8, and from this configuration of the link, while one end is in one bumper, the swell on the under side of the link, Testing against the bottom of the trumpet-mouthed opening in the bumper, will keep the opposite end of the link in nearly the same horizontal plane With the centre of the opening of the opposite bumper, and ot' Course this will always insurc the entrance of the open end of the link into into the oppositc bumper, and thus two cars will be securely and certainly coupled Without endangering the hand Or person of the attendant; at the same time, :is the swell is coniined to the top and. bottom of the link, the coupled bumpers are left in all the freedom required toaccommodate the irregular riiotions of the bumpers when the train is in motion.

lt Will be perceived that in addition to the gravity of my segment catch, which tends to keep it in place, .l cinploy the spiral Spring in its notch to positively prevent its rising out of the link from any jars the bumper may receive from the train, and nt the same time the. Spring is securely protected from injury ithin the slot of the bumper.

.l do not limit myself to any precise dimensions, but propose to construct the parts all to be strong enough for any Work required, and all the parts save the link, and pin that holds thecatch, may be economically made o'r` cast iron, but the link and pin should be of wr'ouglit iron, of a good quality.

Ll em aware thet springs acting vertieally upon the catch to hold it in the link have been used, and I do not therefore claim such; but i What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination of the centre-enlarged link, with the segrnent catch and bumper, arrangecl and operuting substantially ns and for the purpose set forth.

2- The combination of the segment catch With 'a coiled spring, placed in 11 reccss in the catch, and acting between the bumper and catch. With ahorizontal pressure to hold the catch in the link, substantially as set forth.

In tostimony Wircroof I have hercunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM COOK.

Witnesses. J. G. TIIOMPSON, Joan PEORIIAISI. 

